December 22, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Aio Publishing Co. publishes Canadian author and artist
First novelist acts as both author and illustrator for 'The Steam Magnate'

Charleston , SC – Author Dana Copithorne cites a number of influences on her work.

The award-winning nonfiction writer, honored recently for her work linking socio-political reality in the Czech Republic with Czech science fiction and other literature, mentions Iris Murdoch first. "Iris Murdoch was both a philosopher of ethics and a writer who brought magic realist elements to her work," she says, also mentioning her admiration for Murdoch's character-building skills.

Indeed, Copithorne's first novel exhibits both magic realist elements and strong characterization. Tentatively titled 'The Steam Magnate,' the novel follows three key characters through an immensely transformative time for all three, and explores themes ranging from sociology and philosophy to art and architecture.

"Dana's charming, unique style caught our eye from the first; in fact, we made a rare exception for her and contracted for the novel before it was finished," said publisher Tiffany Jonas in a message to Aio's (e)mailing list.

Copithorne will supply not only the cover art for the novel but several black-and-white illustrations interspersed throughout the story, unusual for today's speculative fiction market but something that hearkens back to illustrated classics such as Jane Austen's work.

"When Dana expressed interest in supplying artwork for the book and we discovered she is also an artist, we happily agreed," said Jonas. "We think this is something that, in addition to her story and quality of writing, will really set the book apart. Too often publishers seek to separate the author from his or her own work when it comes time to design [the book]. We consider a story to be an organic creation and don't want to separate the author from it."

Readers can expect a spare, exotic cover and minimalistic interior illustrations, a blend that is as unusual and effective as Copithorne's writing. The author cites both Asian and romantic influences on her artwork: "Freidrich did beautiful gothic environments with a spiritual aspect," she says, "and [there's also] the Zen-based art of Japan, where a human figure is likely to be made of only a few brush strokes."

Readers can expect to see the novel in bookstores later in September 2006.

_______________________________________________________________________

About Aio Publishing Co., LLC Aio Publishing Company was founded in January 2004 in Charleston, South Carolina. Dedicated to broadening speculative fiction bookshelves by adding works of a literary and sociological strain, the company seeks to publish complex, satisfying fiction in a high quality format encompassing visually striking covers, quality paper, graceful typesetting, and innovative design. Its flagship novel, a limited edition of World Fantasy Award winner Ian R. MacLeod’s The Summer Isles was followed by Nocturne by first novelist Jus Neuce, and two new Aio books are currently slated for release in 2006: The Steam Magnate by Canadian author/artist Dana Copithorne and World Fantasy Award-winning author Zoran Zivkovic’s mosaic novel Seven Touches of Music. The company recently won top honors for its book design for The Summer Isles at the 2005 Chicago Book and Media Show. For details about the company and its books, see www.aiopublishing.com.

_______________________________________________________________________

For more information, contact:

Tiffany Jonas, Publisher
Aio Publishing Company, LLC
P.O. Box 30788
Charleston , SC 29417
trjonas@aiopublishing.com
877.756.5429